Blog

Elfreth'sAlley-Philadelphia

Elfreth's Alley is our nation's oldest residential street. An area filled with charm and history.

Charm is more valuable than beauty. You can resist beauty but you can't resist charm. ~Audrey Tautou.

If you are in the area, Elfreth's Alley is a lovely little spot to visit. Here you will find 32 townhouse-style Federal and Georgian residences that have been preserved. The history of this area dates back to 1736 and was given the stamp of a National Historic Landmark in 1966.

While we were there, the Elfreth's Alley Museum was open for a tour. They had two of the units open and you could walk through the downstairs (main floor) area, out to the back courtyard, then back through the main floor of the other unit. Walking through the museum units gives you an idea of the quaint size of the homes and on that particular day, there were individuals from the museum available to answer questions. During the fall, the units were decorated for the holidays.

Prior to our stop in this area, we were down near Love Park when we caught a taxi and the taxi driver wasn't familiar with this particular area. I knew that Elfreth's Alley was close to the Betsy Ross house, so we just has the driver drop us off around the corner at this other historic attraction. If you have young children in your group, the Betsy Ross house is a quick stop and they have a great gift shop attached. There is also a shopping area close by with restaurants if you are looking to grab a quick bite.

If you are only visiting Elfreth's Alley, allow less than 30 minutes to walk around in the area and snap a few pics. The residents work to preserve this area and you will see the charm and pride in their décor. I do have to say, try to avoid visiting on garbage / recycle day. When we were there on a Friday, someone told us the garbage pick up was delayed because of the holiday, so that must put their typical pickup day on Thursday if I had to guess. The trash bags and recycling out on the doorsteps definitely takes away from the charm in your shots.

Elfreth's Alley Museum House, 124-126 Elfreth's Alley, Philadelphia, PA. Here's a link to the museum's site if you'd like more information.